Is right guard the right 1st-round move? Probably not

New Orleans' Jahri Evans, a three-time, first-team All-Pro, was a fourth-round pick in the 2006 draft. (AP)

The 49ers need a guard, so will they address the position with their first-round pick?

Probably not.

Since 2000, only eight guards have been first-round picks, according to ProFootballReference.com. For perspective, 36 offensive tackles have been first-round selections over the past 13 drafts.

Top-shelf interior linemen can be found deeper in the draft, so NFL teams generally don’t spend premium picks on the position.

The Saints, for example, found All-Pro guards Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans in the third and fourth round, respectively. Baltimore plucked guard Marshall Yanda, a second-team All-Pro last year, in the third round. Kris Dielman, the Chargers’ recently retired All-Pro guard, was undrafted. Kansas City’s Will Shields, a 12-time Pro Bowl pick who retired in 2006, was a third-rounder.

And so was the 49ers’ Mike Iupati, the only guard drafted in the first round since 2008. Based on Iupati’s first two seasons, San Francisco appears to have made a wise investment.

But it’s possible they also made a wise – and less costly – investment last year when they traded up in the fifth round to select Appalachian State’s Daniel Kilgore, who is presently penciled in as the starter at right guard.

It remains to be seen if Kilgore, who played one snap as a rookie, will become a solid NFL veteran, much less a star.

If the 49ers believe Kilgore will become either, though, it gives them one more reason to address another position with their No. 30 pick.